The Federal Aviation Administration will return the authority to issue airworthiness certificates for Boeing 737 Max and 787 Dreamliner aircraft to Boeing.
The Federal Aviation Administration announced on Friday that Boeing will resume full responsibility for certifying the airworthiness of its 737 Max and 787 Dreamliner aircraft starting next week. This decision follows a period of shared oversight where the agency and the manufacturer alternated weekly duties after the government stripped Boeing of its self-certification rights following several high-profile safety crises. Bryan Bedford stated that the agency determined Boeing’s final safety checks are sufficient to ensure aircraft are ready for delivery. During the past eight months, the Federal Aviation Administration found that production quality was comparable whether the company or the government issued the certificates. While government inspectors will maintain oversight of the factories, the shift allows regulators to focus on identifying defects earlier in the manufacturing process. Boeing expressed commitment to building high-quality airplanes under continued oversight. This move serves as a vote of confidence for the manufacturer after the 2018 and 2019 crashes and the January 2024 door plug incident.